UK
The on-demand laundry and drycleaning service, ihateironing, has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Business Culture Awards 2023. The network of local drycleaning experts in London, Brighton, Edinburgh and New York City is shortlisted for the Best CSR/Corporate Sustainability Initiative category, which recognises companies with CSR and Sustainability priorities at the heart of how they operate.
Ihateironing has displayed its commitment to corporate social responsibility through spearheading a variety of both environmental and community-centric employee-led projects. The company’s Reusable Covers Scheme was created to find a solution to unnecessary plastic packaging in the drycleaning and laundry industry. As of 2023, ihateironing has successfully cut down single-use plastic waste by over 165,000 bags, and counting.
“We recognise the detrimental impact that certain practices within our industry have on the planet,” said Matt Connelly, CEO and founder of ihateironing, “and we wanted to start paving a more sustainable path forward for our business and set a precedent.” The comnay has also launched Eco-Slots, a carbon-efficient approach to their collection and delivery time slots to reduce their carbon footprint.
Ihateironing also impressed with its commitment to social responsibility through its community initiatives. Through its Brixton Library Workwear Scheme, ihateironing facilitates the donation, free cleaning, and lending of formal wear to job-seekers in South London, with more than 200 garments donated through its customer base. Additionally, the laundry company established partnerships with DIVERT, under the Bounce Back Project, to provide formal wear to individuals in custody to support them in their job seeking efforts as well as their legal appearances.
“Dressing appropriately for interviews can be very costly, and a significant number of people can find it challenging to invest in formal attire that will only be worn on a few occasions, especially in the cost-of-living crisis. We want to provide a solution that removes some of the barriers job seekers face,” said Connelly.
The growing scale-up sits as a finalist in its category alongside pioneers of their respective industries, including Lloyds Banking Group and PwC. “As a small business, it’s great to have our efforts and impact recognised alongside such influential organisations,” concluded Connelly. “We hope that this only promotes more opportunities for us to continue with our CSR strategies and lending a helping hand through and beyond the business.”
This nomination comes one year after Connelly was shortlisted as a finalist as a Small Business Entrepreneur at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022, and won the title of Entrepreneur of the Year at the British Business Awards 2022.
